Bulldogs Advance with Dominant 83-39 Win Over Northwest
- RoMoAthletics
- Mar 4
- 4 min read
March 4th, 2026
When the Bulldogs received the #1 seed in the Class 6 District 2 tournament, it meant a lot more to the Bulldogs than just a bracket seeding, as they knew they would be able to host a first round game. That gave this group of Seniors the opportunity to play once again in front of their hometown crowd at the Field House… and they did not disappoint!
Bulldogs Roll From the Start
A quick 6-0 start by the Bulldogs had Coach Drew Moore of the Northwest Lions calling a timeout in the first minute to get his squad to settle down and regroup. During the same timeout, Coach Mark Miller of the Rolla Bulldogs said keep it up and the Bulldogs responded. “Our guys executed our first several sets so well and got easy buckets around the rim or got fouled and went to the line and converted.”
Rolla came out of the timeout and continued the pressure up and down the court expanding their lead to 15-0 before a Lion 3 pointer finally put Northwest on the board. Coach Miller was happy with his team’s defensive approach. “Our full court pressure caused them a lot of trouble and once we get on the move with a steal it’s very difficult to defend us because we pass and finish so well.“
The Bulldogs led 20 to 7 at the end of the first quarter. The Bulldogs picked up where they left off as they started the 2nd quarter with an 11 to 2 which forced another Northwest timeout with 4:34 left in the first half with the Bulldogs holding a comfortable 31-9 lead.
With 40 seconds left in the half, a steal by 6’1” Sr guard Landen Richter led to a showtime fast break as “Ricky” attacked the defender on the right side and hit 6’0” Jr guard James Scheck streaking down the lane with a behind the back pass for the easy layup bringing the crowd to their feet.
The Bulldogs led 39 to 18 at the half. Rolla was led in scoring in the first half by 6’4” Sr guard Ethan Brown with 12, 6’2” Sr guard Jenson Thomas with 8, 6’8” Sr forward Paxton Ledbetter with 7, and Scheck off the bench with 6.
Finishing Strong & 2500
Rolla started the 2nd half on a 15 to 6 run getting everyone involved. Leading 54 to 24 with 3:45 left in the 3rd quarter, another Bulldog steal resulted in another fast break. With Brown trailing the fast break, he was able to follow the missed shot with an offensive tip in to hit the 2500 point mark of his career.
When asked about the accomplishment, Brown had this to say, "It’s just surreal that I was able to even achieve it. It felt awesome to have my family and friends there. It’s a huge accomplishment but right now it’s the least of my worries. I’m just focused on winning games and advancing."
The energy did not let-up in the second half. The Bulldogs hit 6 threes in the second half and shot 41% from deep for the game. The Bulldogs were able to control the pace which led to 21 transition points with their defense not allowing a single point in transition.
The Bulldogs had 16 steals on the evening, forcing 20 turnovers. That gave them the advantage of converting those turnovers to 26 points. The Bulldogs cruised to the 83 - 39 victory with a turbo clock running the entire 4th quarter.
Wrap Up
A total of 10 players scored for the Bulldogs as the ball movement was exceptional. They recorded 22 assists and only 3 turnovers. Four players were in double figures on the evening with Brown going for a game-high 19 points, Thomas with 14, Ledbetter with 12 and Scheck with 10.
The Bulldogs dominated the paint shooting 66% from 2 and hitting all 10 of their free throw attempts on the evening.
Besides Brown hitting the 2500 career point milestone, 5’8” So guard Logan Litz recorded his first varsity points knocking down a 3 from the top of the key. Also getting his first varsity points in his first varsity appearance was 6’3” Fr forward, Ty Jenkins as he worked his way inside for a bucket.
It was a great night and atmosphere for the 22nd win of the year for the Bulldogs. Coach Miller couldn’t say enough. “It was exactly what a coach wants for the last home game, getting to play all 15 guys, most of them scoring, Ethan scoring his 2500th point and a monstrous crowd getting to send this team forward in district play with a very solid win. Really a fun Tuesday night at the Fieldhouse.”
Next Up
Lafayette - Wildwood (16-9) in the Semifinal of Class 6 District 2
Game will be played at 5:30pm at Marquette HS on Thursday March 5th
First ever match-up between the two schools
No common opponents this year
Lafayette advanced with a 56-41 come from behind win vs Parkway West
Rolla is averaging 69.7 PPG vs Union at 60.2 PPG
Rolla’s defense is allowing 53.4 PA while Union is at 54.6 PA
Lafayette Recap
It was a huge night for 5’11” Sr guard Brady Micek as he went off from deep knocking down 5 3’s on his way to a 17 point night. 6’3” So guard Coleman Watson hit 3-3’s as well as going 7 for 8 from the FT line to put up 18 points..
Boys Class 6 District 2 Bracket
STATS Rolla 83, Northwest 39
The individual scoring (FG-FT-TP):
Rolla (22-5): Thomas 26-0-14, Richter 3-0-9, Gideon 3-0-7, Litz 1-0-3, D. Robinson 1-0-2. Scheck 5-0-10, Ledbetter 4-0-12, Jenkins 1-0-2, Brown 6-6-19, N. Robinson 2-0-5
Northwest (6-12): Frazier 2-0-5, Hejlek 8-0-18, Brown 3-1-8, Mraz 1-0-2, Plevlak 2-0-4, Willhite 1-0-2
The score by periods:
TEAM Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 F
Rolla 20 19 25 19 83
Northwest 7 11 8 13 39
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